Tourism in Yorkshire generates more than £9 billion per annum and supporting almost 225,000 jobs.[1] During 2007 recorded 92 million day visitors and 12.8 million that stayed at least one night in the region.[2] By 2015, the value oftourism was in excess of £7 billion.[3]Yorkshire is around 6,000 square miles (16,000 km2) in size. The official tourism body for the region wasWelcome to Yorkshire until it became insolvent in 2022. As of December 2023, Local Visitor Economy Partnerships to manage tourism have been announced for Hull and East Yorkshire,[4] York and North Yorkshire,[5] and West Yorkshire.[6]
In the county of Yorkshire there is a choice of almost 4,800 hotels, guest houses, self-catering establishments and campsites.[7] It is distributed unevenly throughout the region with the greatest numbers of beds to be found in theNorth York Moors,Yorkshire Dales and aroundHarrogate.West Yorkshire andSouth Yorkshire account for the largest stock ofserviced accommodation, but offer very little in the way of camping or caravan accommodation.
Major Yorkshire cities such asYork,Leeds,Hull andSheffield can be reached fromLondon in less than two hours by train.Leeds Bradford International Airport andDoncaster Sheffield Airport serve many destinations in Europe and Africa and the port of Hull offers services to major European ferry ports atRotterdam andZeebrugge.
Major road links include: theM62 from Hull toManchester; theM1 from Leeds to London; theA1 andA1(M) which passes North to South through Yorkshire; theM18 which connects the M1, A1(M) and the M62, and theM180 which extends from the M18 to A180 atGrimsby.
The city ofYork attracted 3.95 million visitors in 2004[8] of which 24 per cent were from overseas. Visitors spent a total of £283.6 million in the city during 2004. The walled city of is the county capital of Yorkshire and was founded by theRomans in AD 71 on a fortified site at the confluence of theRiver Foss andRiver Ouse. The city skyline is dominated by the medieval Gothic styleYork Minster, and has a rich heritage and culture developed over 2,000 years. York's top three tourist attractions[9] are theNational Railway Museum,York Minster and theJorvik Viking Centre. Other attractions includeMerchant Adventurers' Hall,The Shambles,Clifford's Tower and York's smallest streetWhip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate. In the 2017Condé Nast Traveler survey of readers, York rated 12th among The 15 Best Cities in the UK for visitors.[10]
A 2014 report, based on 2012 data,[11] stated that the city receives 6.9 million visitors annually; they contribute £564 million to the economy and support over 19,000 jobs.[12]
Leeds is Yorkshire's largest city based on resident population.[13] Attractions includeRoundhay Park,Leeds City Museum,Leeds Art Gallery and theHenry Moore Institute. In the 2017 Condé Nast Traveler survey, Leeds rated sixth.[10]
Sheffield is Yorkshire's second largest city based on resident population.[9] Attractions include theSheffield Winter Gardens which attracted 2.5 million visitors in 2008 making it the most visited tourist attraction in Yorkshire and placing it in the UK's top 20 list of attractions.
Yorkshire's third largest city ofBradford[9] is home to theNational Media Museum, which was the third most visited tourist attraction in Yorkshire in 2008.[8]
Scarborough,Whitby andBridlington are popular seaside towns located on the North Sea coast of Yorkshire and close to the picturesqueYorkshire Moors. All three towns have sandy beaches that attract many day trippers and holidaymakers during the summer months.
Although North Yorkshire is the UK's largest county in size it is the second lowest population density in England.[9] The Yorkshire Moors is an area of outstanding natural beauty designated as a National Park in 1952 and situated in the county of North Yorkshire. It contains one of the largest expanses of heather moorland in the UK.
The Yorkshire Dales National Park was established in 1954 and offers visitors outstanding scenery, a variety of wildlife and recreation options.
An area known as the 'Yorkshire Nature Triangle' comprises some of the county's most popular wildlife-watching locations and stretches fromBridlington in the north, toSpurn in the south eastern corner and across to theVale of York. It includes popular sites like the RSPB'sBempton Cliffs,Spurn Point and more than 20 other nature reserves. Wildlife that draws many visitors to the area includes puffins, bitterns, whale-watching fromWhitby, otters, avocets and red kites. The 2015 Easter Special edition of theSpringwatch TV show was broadcast from the county's East Coast seabird colonies.
The moorland and the village ofHaworth inBrontë Country are also popular tourist destinations owing to the work of the Brontë sisters.
The rural town ofHolmfirth on the border of thePeak District National Park, famously the filming location for the world's longest-running comedyLast of the Summer Wine,[14] is enjoyed by a great many tourists for its culture, cafes, restaurants and scenery.
Other major tourist attractions in Yorkshire include:
